Last Fight
by BookDragoness
Summary: With the civil war coming to an end, the imperials have pulled ahead of the stormcloaks. They have been pushing on the borders constantly, but what happened when they actually attack?


Fire flared throughout the city, it's yellow and orange flames lapping greedily at the roofs of the houses, and the wooden interiors. The sound of war was clear in the air. Metal on metal as swords clashed, and the sound of metal hitting wood as blows were blocked with wooden shields. The uniforms of the men defending their city blended into the grey stone well. Their blue cloth cloaks and fur boots and gloves dull against the bright leather of the invaders. The bits of red cloth showing through the leather armor showed that they were from the North Western city.

The inhabitants fought with the fury of bears, but they were losing. That was plain to see. Some of the senior warriors met the invaders blow for blow, but their younger comrades fell easily, allowing them to get overwhelmed.

"Fall back! Fall back to the Palace court yard!" a shout sounded from above the fighting, and the blue armored warriors looked up in surprise, before falling back reluctantly. The leather clad men chased after them, catching those off guard with precise slices of their swords. They could tell they were winning, that they had their opponents on the run.

"Get them! Don't give up!" the same person yelled as the soldiers made it to the Palace clearing. _Clash! Bang! Snap! Bang! Thump!_ The city warriors continued their lost fight, their desperation pushing them onwards. An arrow flew above everyone's heads, and nailed the person shouting the commands, in the throat. His body collapsed forward, and fell off the archers post down to the clearing below. A screech sounded above the fighting, and the leather clad soldiers paused, looking up as a shadow passed over the clearing. They then cheered and resumed their fighting as more fire was poured into the clearing, lighting some of the blue warriors' armor alight.

A wounded soldier stumbled into the palace, her coughs bone wracking, and blood dripping down her heavily bleeding arm and sides. "U...Ulfric... the imperial... imperial forces are pushing in... we... we're losing... losing this fight." she coughed, holding a hand to her bleeding side. She looked up at her leader, eyes glazed over. She looked half dead already, but she'd fight till the death. All of the warriors would.

Ulfric stood with his second, war axe in hand. His face was grim, and his eyes dark. He was furious that his city was under siege, but there was nothing they could do but try their best and drive them back, but even that _simple_ plan was failing.

"Damn it! I told you we should have called for the nearby holds' help." Ulfric's second growled, his eyes furious. He paced around the room, his arms animated with rage.

"Calm down Galmar. Even if we had the extra forces, we'd never survive this strong of an attack." Ulfric said, his voice strangely calm. The wounded soldier coughed, and gasped.

"Should... should we get Frost Strike my jarl?" she asked, looking up at the tall nord with fearful pained eyes. Ulfric looked torn, his mouth opened to say no, before he reluctantly nodded. A screech outside had all the nords in the palace looking up. The imperials had their own beast with them.

"Go! Get her out there! Now!" Galmar yelled to two soldiers stationed to help him guard Ulfric. They saluted, and quickly headed down the hall and through a door leading into the lower areas of their city. Ulfric growled under his breath, before following the soldiers. Running past Galmar and the female soldier. Galmar blinked in surprise before following, leaving the wounded soldier in the main hall as the steward ran up and started tending to her bad wounds.

Ulfric hurried down the stairs, his feet flying over the stone. A growl sounded down the hall, and then a hiss. The soldiers were struggling with the beast in the large straw filled cell. It's horns smacked into the cell walls, as it snapped and snarled at them.

"Stop." the command rang out, and the creature stopped her struggling as she looked over at Ulfric. Her wide blue eyes locked with his, and he walked over to her. Her sides heaved, and the fur on her back rose and fell with her breathing. She was a beautiful creature, scales the color of a cold blue dawn, and Ulfric hated sending this loyal dragon out to fight his war. He could just let her go, but she would come back and fight anyway. She die protecting this town and him like the rest of the warriors.

"Frost Strike..." he murmured taking her head in his hands, and she looked at him with her wide blue eyes. "It's time you went out there, and showed those imperial _bastards_ not to mess with the city of Windhelm." the dragon hissed in response, her lips pulling back to reveal sharp white teeth. She flared her large feather edged wings, and her ears went back. She wanted to fight, she wanted to protect her city.

Ulfric moved into her cell, and unhooked her harness from the wall, the chains dropping with a clang on the ground. THe sound rang out in the silent halls, deafening to the soldiers watching. The dragon stepped out of the cell, her head held high. She flared her wings and growled a low rage filled growl, and looked towards the city door that was installed just recently for her. Ulfric nodded to the soldiered that watched the dragon with wary eyes, before they moved to the door, and pushed it open. The dragon didn't move.

"Frost Strike?" Ulfric looked over at her, surprised. The dragon looked over at him, and she lowered her wings and shoulders. She was waiting for him. He smiled slightly, before moving over to the chest near the dragon's cell, and pulled out the equipment that he'd need. A leather harness, made specially for dragon riding. He'd only used it once with Frost Strike, and that was when she had came to get him from the ruins of Helgen all those months ago. He pulled it on, clasping the clips to the indents on the dragon's harness. Ulfric pulled on his helmet, the blue tinted metal shaped into a dragon's head. Frost Strike snorted in approval, and shook her head, the long fur near her ears and eyes flicking out. Ulfric climbed onto her back, and Frost Strike growled, before running through the doors, and launching into the air.

The dragon was quick and agile in the air, her wings beating the air with practiced ease. She flew out over the river skimming her wings in the water before spiraling higher into the air, and towards the city, a roar tearing from her throat. She tilted her wings and dived down into the streets, frost glittering at the back of her throat. With a deep breath, she released the frost, freezing the imperial soldiers below Ulfric and her.

Ulfric gave a triumphant yell, and Frost Strike spiraled back up into the air, her wings reflecting the sun and glittering in the sky. The soldiers of the city cheered as the fought on, glad to see their protest had finally come out. Alas. Their triumph was short lived as another roar sounded. Ulfric turned just in time to see a red drake slam into him and thishe dragon. Frost Strike screeched in shock, and the red drake wrapped his lethal, blood covered claws on her feathery wings. She hissed and lashed out with her silver claws as they started falling towards the ground. Her blue eyes were narrowed, the pupils rarely seen as she blasted ice in the drakes face.

The red dragon let go with a ear shattering shriek, and both Frost Strike and Ulfric pulled up and away from the ground, the dawn blue dragon's wings beating the air furiously. Ulfric reached forward, and patted her neck.

"You're doing good Frost... just a close call." The dragons ears flicked at him, and she leaned just the tiniest bit into his touch. It was a small thing, but the dragon was happy. Sadly, the drake had recovered from the ice, and was flying after them. Frost Strike snarled under her breath, and dived down, her wings twisting in the most amazing ways as she navigated through the homes and shops of the burning city. The red drake was more clumsy, hitting walls, and banging his wings on the stone, but he still managed to keep just a few tail lengths behind them. Frost Strike narrowed her eyes and blasted another breath of her icy power onto the invading soldiers as she passed over the courtyard. Her claws reached down and snatched a paw full of imperial warriors, crushing them to death in her claws.

The fight seemed to have turned on their side, for the moment, as the struggling Windhelm soldiers drew strength from the presence of Frost Strike. The imperials were being pushed back, and Ulfric smiled under his helmet. The dawn blue dragon dove down again to grab another claw full of imperials, when the red drake slammed into her side, sending the dragon rolling through the snow with a scream. Ulfric winced as the dragon landed on her side, pinning his leg under her. The red drake prowled closer, his eyes hungry, and angry. Frost lifted her head, and snarled at the drake as she struggled to her paws. The drake snorted, and slammed his claws down on the dragon's neck, pinning her. Frost Strike growled, and tried to kick out, but her claws hit nothing but air.

"No!" Ulfric yelled as the drake lunged to his dragon's neck, and he swung out with his axe, the blade biting into the red drakes grey eye. It reared back, and Frost pushed to her paws as the weight was lifted. The fur on her back was rigid and spiked out as she glared at the drake. Her anger was directed away from the invading soldiers attacking the city warriors, and was now targeted at the drake.

"Hi los ni lorfonaar wah kos het. Lif, us Zu'u vaaz hin ruus tir, ahrk luv hin viing wah trof." she growled out, eyes glaring into his. Ulfric had never heard her speak before, and was surprised, but hopefully this drake would listen to whatever she had said.

"Zu'u fen ni lif ful das, daar los dii deylok nu. Hi los gein wo lif, _mun rez_." the red drake snapped back, before lunging forward. Frost Strike roared, and reared slamming her claws into the red drakes face, and clawing the scales and flesh. The dragons snarled and were tearing into each other, when he saw some of the imperial soldiers wandering closer to them. An arrow flew through the air, and pierced Frost Strike just where her neck ended and went into her shoulder. She shrieked, and flared her wings launching into the air again to get away as the imperials surged forward. Another two arrows sailed through the arrow and hit Ulfric's back and in the side of his rib cage. He yelled out in pain, and hunched over.

The damn drake followed, and quickly caught up to her, his claws tearing into the soft membrane on her wing, and rendering the limbs useless. Frost Strike screamed and frantically tried to beat her wings. The drake sneered, and wrapped his claws around her neck, back, and tail, lifting her higher into the sky. Ulfric's heart stopped as he realized what it was going to do. It was going to carry his dragon high up into the sky, then drop her, as she couldn't fly anymore, and the fall would probably kill her.

Ulfric reached up, and swung his war axe, hitting the drake's leg. It hissed in pain, and let go briefly to hit the weapon out of his hand. Ulfric hissed under his breath, and Frost Strike looked back at him, her eyes sad and fury filled. The pair were taken higher and higher into the air, before the drake stopped and hovered in the air. They were above the icy river, and the drake glared down at Ulfric.

"Lost moor voth hin rez, mun." it snarled, raking it's claws across Forst's throat, and then letting go. Frost's screech of pain was cut short from the blood bubbling at her neck, and she flared her wings trying to catch the wind again. Ulfric held on as the dragon writhed under him. Her wings just barely caught some wind, but it wasn't enough to carry them up, only to slow the fall a fraction of a second. The water below them neared closer and closer, and Ulfric saw the bridge connecting the city across the water a few feet from their drop point, and Frost's wing was going to hit it! _Crack!_ The wing broke as it hit the stone a few seconds later, and they flipped from the force of the impact as Frost slammed into the water side first.

The cold water shocked Ulfric, driving the breath from him and the dragon's mouth released a jet of air bubbles as she tried to go towards the surface. Her claws sliced through the water in vain, and the blood from her neck and wings started clouding the water, turning it red. Her movement started slowing, and Ulfric was running out of air, though the arrow in the back and side probably effected that as well, the pain throbbing throughout his body. Frost Strike's blue eyes flashed over at him, their blue depths sad and glazed over in pain. She flared her wings, and in a vain attempt, tried to catch a current to get to the surface. The water caught her wings and pulled them along the water agonizingly slow. As they broke surface, they drifted towards the shore, where they washed up.

Frost had lost all of her strength, and laid there on the snowy back, her blood turning the snow around her red. Ulfric unhooked the clasps holding him to his dragon's back and dropped down into the snow next to her, he groaned in pain as the movement aggravated the arrows, before moving up by his dragon's head. Her eyes dimly flashed over at him, and she moved her head closer to him.

"It... it was a good fight... I'm... proud of... you... Frost Strike." Ulfric said placing a hand on her snout. The dragon made a keening sound but it was bubbly, and barely audible as the blood flowed from her neck.

"Nii lost kosaan . . . zin, Zu'u los frund wah lost grah voth hi." She let out her breath, and gasped as she took another one in, "It has been a... honor, I am glad to have battled with you." The light faded from her blue eyes as her head rolled to the side in the snow. Ulfric coughed, his heart pained at the loss of the dragon, and laid his head on the dragon's side, his vision starting to go black.

The fight was over as soon as it started. The imperials won the city of Windhelm, and conquered it with ease, though they did not go without losses. Many warriors had died, but they still won, managing to kill Ulfric Stormcloak, and his dragon they had hated and feared. They had searched through the river for a few hours, before finding the pair washed on the shore. They had taken the dragon's head as a trophy, intending to take it to their general, and left her body to rot by the river, along with Ulfric's. A glorified dragon such as her did not deserve the fate she and her rider got, and especially not the desecration of her body, but, the imperials had won what they wanted and didn't care to honor the good fight the dragon and her rider had given.


End file.
